A shower requires regular cleaning to prevent dirt and mildew from setting in on the shower surfaces such as the ceramic tiles and grout therebetween, porcelain, plastic and/or glass surfaces that are typically found in a shower area. Normally, a shower is used potentially numerous times, on a daily basis, whereas shower cleaning only occurs on a periodic basis, such as once a week. Such periodic cleaning typically requires the purchase of bathroom cleansers which are applied to the surfaces to be cleaned. The surfaces are then scrubbed to remove the accumulated dirt and mildew to clean the shower area. Insofar as frequent purchase of these cleansers can be fairly expensive and the scrubbing action required to be exerted during the periodic cleanings using these cleansers can be fairly difficult, there is a need for a shower cleaner which readily allows for a more regular cleaning of the shower without exacting the time and effort that is normally required with weekly periodic cleanings using purchased shower cleansers. Preferably, the cleaner can be easily utilized to clean the shower area such that the area can be effectively and rapidly cleaned after each use thereof thereby increasing the time between the periodic cleanings and correspondingly reducing the necessity of frequent purchase of the cleansers used on the shower surfaces.
While it is known to use sponge cleaning heads with mops, sponge mops are not suitable for cleaning shower areas, particularly, vertical surfaces in the shower area. Mops normally include a relatively long handle angled relative to the cleaning head so that a user can clean a large area from a relatively stationary position and need not bend or stoop down while cleaning an open floor area with the mop. This long angled handle makes a mop difficult to manipulate in a confined shower area and, if used therein, requires a user to carefully maneuver themselves so as to properly position the mophead along the surface to be cleaned while simultaneously trying to avoid banging or knocking the handle on other surfaces in the area. This is made even more problematic if a user attempts to clean a vertical wall with a mop. Moreover, due to the length of the handle, a mop normally requires two hands to accurately and forcefully direct the mop head on the floor. Such maneuvering and two-handed use is made even more difficult and hazardous by moisture that accumulates on the floor of the shower or tub area after each use. Thus, a mop is not particularly well-adapted to be used for cleaning a shower area.
Furthermore, a mop would not normally be stored so that it would be easily accessible to someone after they have taken a shower. Typically, to get the mop, they would most likely have to get out of the shower, dry off and put clothes or a wrap on before traveling to a kitchen pantry or the like to get the mop. Thus, there is a need for a shower cleaner which is smaller and more compact versus a normal mop so that it can be stored in or near the shower readily accessible after each use of the shower.
A further safety problem with the use of mops in cleaning a shower is in the design of the wringing mechanism which normally requires a user to hold the handle with one hand and then activate the wringing mechanism with the other, as by operating a lever adjacent the handle to squeeze the sponge mophead to expel water therefrom. As stated earlier, the floor in a shower can be quite slippery due to the moisture accumulated thereon after each use. Therefore, if a sponge mop is used in the shower, the wringing thereof can pose substantial safety concerns as the user cannot use their free hand to support themselves in the shower while wringing the mop. Thus, there is a need for a shower cleaner which has a simple and compact design and allows one-handed operation thereof to both clean with the sponge cleaning head and wring the sponge cleaning head.